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Universal Adaptive Strategy Theory
Universal adaptive strategy theory (UAST) is an evolutionary theory developed by J. Philip Grime in collaboration with Simon Pierce describing the general limits to ecology and evolution based on the trade-off that organisms face when the resources they gain from the environment are allocated between either growth, maintenance or regeneration – known as the universal three-way trade-off. General theory A universal three-way trade-off produces adaptive strategies throughout the tree of life, with extreme strategies facilitating the survival of genes via: C (competitive), the survival of the individual using traits that maximize resource acquisition and resource control in consistently productive niches; S (stress-tolerant), individual survival via maintenance of metabolic performance in variable and unproductive niches; or R (ruderal), rapid gene propagation via rapid completion of the lifecycle and regeneration in niches where events are frequently lethal to the individual. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phenotypic Plasticity
Phenotypic plasticity refers to some of the changes in an organism's behavior, morphology and physiology in response to a unique environment. Fundamental to the way in which organisms cope with environmental variation, phenotypic plasticity encompasses all types of environmentally induced changes (e.g. morphological, physiological, behavioural, phenological) that may or may not be permanent throughout an individual's lifespan. The term was originally used to describe developmental effects on morphological characters, but is now more broadly used to describe all phenotypic responses to environmental change, such as acclimation (acclimatization), as well as learning. The special case when differences in environment induce discrete phenotypes is termed polyphenism. Generally, phenotypic plasticity is more important for immobile organisms (e.g. plants) than mobile organisms (e.g. most animals), as mobile organisms can often move away from unfavourable environments. Nevertheless ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Botany
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who specialises in this field. "Plant" and "botany" may be defined more narrowly to include only land plants and their study, which is also known as phytology. Phytologists or botanists (in the strict sense) study approximately 410,000 species of Embryophyte, land plants, including some 391,000 species of vascular plants (of which approximately 369,000 are flowering plants) and approximately 20,000 bryophytes. Botany originated as history of herbalism#Prehistory, prehistoric herbalism to identify and later cultivate plants that were edible, poisonous, and medicinal, making it one of the first endeavours of human investigation. Medieval physic gardens, often attached to Monastery, monasteries, contained plants possibly having medicinal benefit. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
University Of Chicago Press
The University of Chicago Press is the university press of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It publishes a wide range of academic titles, including ''The Chicago Manual of Style'', numerous academic journals, and advanced monographs in the academic fields. The press is located just south of the Midway Plaisance on the University of Chicago campus. One of its quasi-independent projects is the BiblioVault, a digital repository for scholarly books. History The University of Chicago Press was founded in 1890, making it one of the oldest continuously operating university presses in the United States. Its first published book was Robert F. Harper's ''Assyrian and Babylonian Letters Belonging to the Kouyunjik Collections of the British Museum''. The book sold five copies during its first two years, but by 1900, the University of Chicago Pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The American Naturalist
''The American Naturalist'' is the monthly Peer review, peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society of Naturalists, whose purpose is "to advance and to diffuse knowledge of organic evolution and other broad biological principles so as to enhance the conceptual unification of the biological sciences." It was established in 1867 and is published by the University of Chicago Press. The journal covers research in ecology, evolutionary biology and Ethology, behavior. As of 2023, the editor-in-chief is Volker H. W. Rudolf. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the journal had a 2023 impact factor of 2.4. History The journal was founded by Alpheus Hyatt, Edward Sylvester Morse, Edward S. Morse, Alpheus Spring Packard Jr., Alpheus S. Packard Jr., and Frederick Ward Putnam, Frederick W. Putnam at the Essex Institute in Salem, Massachusetts. The first issue appeared in print dated March 1867."American Naturalist," in International Magazine Co., ''Periodicals,'' vol. 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sørensen Similarity Index
Sørensen () is a Danish- Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Søren" (given name equivalent of Severin). , it is the eighth most common surname in Denmark. Immigrants to English-speaking countries often changed the spelling to ''Sorensen'' or ''Sorenson'' in order to accommodate English orthographic rules. English-language media often similarly renders ''Sørensen'' as either ''Sorensen'' or ''Sorenson''. A parallel form of similar origin is Severinsen. The numbers of bearers of the surnames ''Sørensen'' and ''Severinsen'' in Denmark and Norway (2008): It may refer to a number of people: People with the same name * Ole Sørensen * Peter Sørensen In sports * Aksel Sørensen (1891–1955), Danish gymnast * Andreas Sørensen (born 1984), Danish footballer *Anders Sørensen (born 1962), Danish golfer * Arne Sørensen (1917–1977), Danish footballer and manager *Asger Sørensen (born 1996), Danish footballer *Chris Sørensen (born 1977), Danish footballer *Chris Anker ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Relative Growth Rate
Relative growth rate (RGR) is growth rate relative to size - that is, a rate of growth per unit time, as a proportion of its size at that moment in time. It is also called the exponential growth rate, or the continuous growth rate. Rationale RGR is a concept relevant in cases where the increase in a state variable over time is proportional to the value of that state variable at the beginning of a time period. In terms of differential equations, if S is the current size, and \frac its growth rate, then relative growth rate is :RGR=\frac\frac. If the RGR is constant, i.e., :\frac\frac = k, a solution to this equation is :S(t) = S_0\exp(k\cdot t) Where: *S(t) is the final size at time (t). *S0 is the initial size. *k is the relative growth rate. A closely related concept is doubling time. Calculations In the simplest case of observations at two time points, RGR is calculated using the following equation: :RGR \ = \ , where: \ln = natural logarithm t_1 = time one (e.g. in days ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Community Ecology
In ecology, a community is a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community, biological community, ecological community, or life assemblage. The term community has a variety of uses. In its simplest form it refers to groups of organisms in a specific place or time, for example, "the fish community of Lake Ontario before industrialization". Community ecology or synecology is the study of the interactions between species in communities on many spatial and temporal scales, including the distribution, structure, abundance, demography, and interactions of coexisting populations. The primary focus of community ecology is on the interactions between populations as determined by specific genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. It is important to understand the origin, maintenance, and consequences of species diversity when evaluating community ecology. Comm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
R* Rule
The R* rule (also called the resource-ratio hypothesis) is a hypothesis in community ecology that attempts to predict which species will become dominant as the result of competition for resources. The hypothesis was formulated by American ecologist David Tilman. It predicts that if multiple species are competing for a single limiting resource, then whichever species can survive at the lowest equilibrium resource level (i.e., the R*) can outcompete all other species. If two species are competing for two resources, then coexistence is only possible if each species has a lower R* on one of the resources. For example, two phytoplankton species may be able to coexist if one is more limited by nitrogen, and the other is more limited by phosphorus. A large number of experimental studies have attempted to verify the predictions of the R* rule. Many studies have shown that when multiple plankton are grown together, the species with the lowest R* will dominate, or coexist if they are li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Annual Plant
An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. Globally, 6% of all plant species and 15% of herbaceous plants (excluding trees and shrubs) are annuals. The annual life cycle has independently emerged in over 120 different plant families throughout the entire angiosperm phylogeny. The evolutionary and ecological drivers of the annual life cycle Traditionally, there has been a prevailing assumption that annuals have evolved from perennial ancestors. However, recent research challenges this notion, revealing instances where perennials have evolved from annual ancestors. Intriguingly, models propose that transition rates from an annual to a perennial life cycle are twice as fast as the reverse transition. The life-history theory posits that annual plants are favored when adult mortality is higher than seedling (or seed) mortality, i.e., annuals will dominate environments with dis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruderal Species
A ruderal species is a plant species that is first to colonize disturbed lands. The disturbance may be natural for example, wildfires or avalanchesor the consequences of human activities, such as construction ( of roads, of buildings, mining, etc.) or agriculture (abandoned fields, irrigation, etc.). The term '' ruderal'' originates from the Latin word '' rudus'', meaning " rubble". Ruderal species typically dominate the disturbed area for a few years, gradually losing the competition to other native species. However, in extreme disturbance circumstances, such as when the natural topsoil is covered with a foreign substance, a single-species ruderal community may become permanently established. In addition, some ruderal invasive species may have such a competitive advantage over the native species that they, too, may permanently prevent a disturbed area from returning to its original state despite natural topsoil. Features Features contributing to a species' success as ruder ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
